Feeding my dairy cows

Location
southwest
I can never understand the thinking behind feeding a "TMR" and topping up with cake in the parlour.

Doesn't the T in TMR stand for "total"?

So you create a balance ration and then feck it up by feeding 5 or 6kg of cake in the parlour, which means they eat 6kg DM less of the TMR which means they are eating 25% less of the TMR than they should!

So any idea of a "balanced" ration has gone out the window! Your M+17 litre ration is now about M+10 litres

Just get a parlour cake that balances your forages/roots and drop the blend.

Put the silage out in the morning and chuck the roots on top midday.
 
Last edited:

dairyrow

Member
How many kg/dm are they supposed be eating. For 2.3 kg of milk solids need to be about 23 to 24 kg of dm per day. but i shouldn't really comment from afar
 

pappuller

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
M6 Hard shoulder
Good morning I’m really struggling with my dairy cow intakes, one day they lick the trough clean the next day there’s half of it left. I feel like my nutritionist is only out to sell tons of feed, I have a rep in the yard nearly every week with only just 6 months into my tenancy. They all inform me they can do better and there feed is better and I’m getting sick of them all there like vultures! Am I mad at thinking I should have a go at putting a ration together myself they are on TMR fed to yield in the parlour on auto id and in two groups high and low any help will be gratefully recieved!!
how often does your nutritionist walk round your cows ? whats the first thing he/she does when they arrive on farm ? there is no way anyone can feed cows properly when housed without walking through them and observing them before anything else.
 

Dead Rabbits

Member
Location
'Merica
I don’t know what feed reps are we just use brokers. I’ve never met any of them and have talked to 1 on the phone. All communication is done via email to avoid mistakes and have everything recorded.Tell reps farm visits are by appointment only.

The three most important things when feeding a cow are. Intake, intake, intake. Everything you are feeding is going through a scale or metered device. You should be able to determine your total amounts fed then DM test each ingredient to get exact numbers. Do not use the DM supplied by your analysis. DM test weekly to eliminate that variable. Find an independent actual nutritionist to take it from there. It’s not worth calling them until you have that done. I’m not very smart nor an expert but that will get ya started.
 

Dead Rabbits

Member
Location
'Merica
I’d also question buying from a feed mill in the first place. It can be harder to cashflow at times but if you can buy ingredients in by the load you get to keep the feed mill margin in your pocket. Everyone’s situation is different though
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.0%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 66 35.1%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.0%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,290
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top